Tech giant Amazon is stepping up plans to launch its drone delivery service in the 海角视频 through a trial in a north East town.
The global online retailer is advancing with planning applications to Darlington's local council while simultaneously seeking approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for its Prime Air drone-delivery service.
Having already taken off at two locations in the US, Prime Air uses a fleet of drones to whisk packages to customers within an hour. Beyond seeking official permissions, Amazon plans to reach out to Darlington's residents, addressing questions and sourcing feedback about the novel service.
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The move is also set to create a number of jobs, with Amazon confirming a recruitment drive will start once approvals have been granted.
An Amazon spokesperson said: "We are ready and excited to make drone delivery a reality for our 海角视频 customers. We have built safe and reliable drone delivery services elsewhere in the world in close partnership with regulators and the communities we serve, and we are working to do the same in the 海角视频.
"We are announcing that Prime Air is taking steps to start planning for initial flights from our fulfilment centre in Darlington.
"While there is still much work to do, this is an exciting step forward. A planning application will be lodged with the local authority which will seek permission to build our flight operations facilities at the site, along with applying for authorisation from the Civil Aviation Authority to fly a drone in the airspace.
"Once those agreements are in place, we will be able to begin hiring team members to launch drone delivery.
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Amazon has announced that the service will be optional within its catchment area, and eligible customers will have the chance to opt-in via their existing Amazon account. The firm did not provide a specific timeline for the service's launch.
Amazon added: "We have nothing more to share (on timeframe) at this time, but we will engage with the community to answer questions and collect feedback as we seek to offer this new option for delivery."
The business has been honing its drone delivery systems for several years and has previously trialled drone deliveries in the 海角视频 – marking its first autonomous Prime Air delivery in Cambridgeshire back in 2016 during a pilot run.